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FINALS WEEK OVERLOAD IS TOO DIFFICULT
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PHONE THEFTS GO TO PAGE 3
98. 3
MAC TOWN 1. 23. 2016
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CUSTODIAN BRIGHTENS MHS HALLWAYS
The Bruin MAY 29, 2015 mhsbruin.com
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OPINIONS
Hannah Siepmann writes about the stress of finals week on page 8.
Letters to the Editor Policy
DEVIN BALDWIN
WHAT IS ISIS?
CLOSE UP
Quinn Van Horn explains the real terrorist group that plages the media on page 3.
Art student Mya Clover is feathured on her amazing 2D and 3D art.
PAGE 9
STAR WARS MOVIE REVIEW Jake Fowler shares his opinion on one of the most anticipated movies yet.
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EYEBROWS
MHS students are showing off their unique eyebrows in Fashion on page 15.
WAVE TO JEROME Jerome, the most friendly custodian at MHS, shares about what it’s like to work at the school. PAGE 11
UTIMATE FUN Hannah Siepmann gives us a glance into the new untimate frisbee club.
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A guide to navigating this issue
The Bruin JANUARY 22, 2016 mhsbruin.com
Letters should be limited to 200 words and may be subject to editing for libelous and/or obscene content as well as length. All letters must be signed and names will be published. Submission of material is not a guarantee of publication. Letters may be dropped off in Room 227 or mailed to The Bruin, McMinnville High School, 615 E. 15th St., McMinnville, OR 97128.
The Bruin is a member of Quill and Scroll, International Honorary Society for High School Students, The Journalism Education Association, and Northwest Scholastic Press.
HANNAH SIEPMANN Editor-in-Chief EMMA BEYER Editor-in-Chief DIANA DENNEY Features Editor JOE GULLO A&E Editor SYDNEY STERN Sports Editor DIANA DIAZ Fashion Editor QUINN VAN HORN Art Focus Editor ETHAN COLLINS Business Manager KATHY BEYER Adviser
Contact The Bruin (503) 565-4159 www.mhsbruin.com
REPORTERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS
ISABELLA ALLEN KARLEE BIRD DEVIN BALDWIN JAKE FOWLER HUNTER HARRIS MIGUEL LOEZA LEO MARTINEZ SKYLAR PEAK JORGE QUINTERO SALINAS MCKENNA SUAREZ ELIZABETH KOKORUDA KOBY WRIGHT CHLOE ZINDA MERICA ZOCH BEN STUART
NEWS
DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO SHARE? CONTACT EDITOR DIANA DENNEY
GONE MISSING HUNTER HARRIS
THEFT RATES SOAR DURING WINTER MONTHS AT MHS BY JAKE FOWLER
writer
Covered in the announcements, reiterated by staff, and talked about by students, it is clear that it is rampant. Theft is now an epidemic at our school. Our school’s administration is in frustration and annoyance at the number of thefts that happen by the day, week, or month. “Towards the beginning of the school year the number of thefts was extremely low, but as we entered November and December they have sky rocketed to large proportions,” said Steve Cooper. Students and teachers alike have been in distress over the possibility of their possessions going missing. And it’s not just a few here and there. It can happen numerous times in one day. “The amount of theft occurrences fluctuates from week to week, but we’ve had as many as 10 theft reports in one day,” said Ben Patterson. “and they can happen in any place in the school.” Despite all of the cases of theft in our school, only a few have been solved and dealt with. Most go unsolved and the victims may never see their stolen belongings again. The underline item that is stolen most is one thing that everybody has, a cell phone. “Cell phones are extremely hard to find if the deans don’t find out about the theft incident right away,” Mitch Sechler said. “Phones are so easily concealed on people’s bodies that anybody can take and hide them in the blink of an eye.” Now school district punishment for theft at school is a suspension of three to five days, parent or guardian contact, and restrictions throughout the school. But
aside from school punishment, legal and criminal consequences can also be applied. “Depending on the case, it is likely that I would make an arrest in the prosecution process of a thief,” said resource officer Toby Carver. According to Carver, most common thefts fall under misdemeanor crimes which can result in hefty fines, community service, and even jail time. “If a student is been caught stealing something, the odds can be better in their favor is they are just honest towards what they did,” Carver said. The most common place in the school for possessions of all sorts to be stolen is in the gym locker rooms. “Obviously because of privacy reasons, we can’t place security cameras inside the locker rooms,” said Sechler. Sechler also talked about how most students do not put away and lock their belongings, which makes it easy for somebody to just reach in and take something. The underlying point is that thefts are rampant at our school. Even though there is no definite way to stop thieves, there can be prevention. For one thing keep valuable items such as phones, wallets, or jewelry close to you or on your person. Keep track and be conscious about your backpacks or bags. Always know where your things are, and if you have any suspicion that something of yours may have been taken, tell a teacher or administrator immediately. Don’t be afraid to be overly attentive to situations like this. It is always better to be safe than sorry. The Bruin JANUARY 22, 2016 mhsbruin.com
NEWS
FLYING HIGH
COLLEGE HELP FOR STUDENTS
NEWS
WHAT IS ISIS?
AVID-LY LEARNING
AN IN-DEPTH HISTORY OF THE GROUP CAUSING TERROR THROUGH THE MIDDLE EAST
MHS TEACHERS LOOK TO MAKE COLLEGE A REALITY FOR FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS
BY QUINN VAN HORN
BY HANNAH SIEPMANN HUNTER HARRIS
ISIS is possibly the most malicious and powerful force threatening our way of life today. Its devastating attacks on major western centers, most recently Paris and California, have bred fear and anger in the minds of millions. But most Americans know relatively little about the terrorist organization itself, understanding almost nothing of its origins, objectives, and principles. ISIS has a complex history and code of beliefs which can’t be quickly explained. To put it in the simplest terms possible: ISIS has existed for decades. It was founded in the early 90s, known back then as ‘The Organization of Monotheism and Jihad’. Its founder had fought the Soviet Union in Afghanistan years earlier, and like many of his fellow Arab veterans, he came out of the war filled with anger and religious zeal. Some of the men he had fought alongside during this invasion went on to form al-Qaeda, which, of course, initiated devastating attacks on American soil in September 2001. This prompted the US to invade Iraq as retaliation, but unfortunately, this invasion brought only chaos, and encouraged many Middle Easterners to join the extremists. It was at this time of confusion and frustration that the stillobscure ISIS made its way into Iraq, immediately establishing itself as intensely violent and unafraid to kill innocent civilians. It formed a bond with al Qaeda, but when Syria fell into civil war in 2011, the two organizations grew hostile towards one another. In 2014, they officially split, leaving ISIS powerful and newly independent - it was here that the group officially selected its new name, an acronym for ‘the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’. And with that, the ISIS we know today was born. So, with that said, we can approach another question: what does ISIS want? Well, the organization has one primary, uncomplicated desire: to expand its territory, and to one day rule the entire word. But, of course, it is a religious group, and while it describes itself as Islamic, most Muslims hate ISIS and reject many of its religious ideals. It is its own narrow, fundamentalist version of Islam that ISIS seeks to spread, and does this by gaining new followers and territories – this is the predominant reason why the group wants so much to overtake the rest of the world. By committing frequent acts of mass violence against various countries, ISIS is establishing itself as an intimidating and irrational global force. In order to combat the organization, American citizens will have to secure an understanding of its origins and objectives – knowing how ISIS thinks could prove to be the greatest asset in fighting it.
DARCY HOUSTON, AVID ADVISOR
NEW YORK TIMES
ISIS EXPANSION AND AREAS OF ATTACK 4
The Bruin JANUARY 22, 2016 mhsbruin.com
editor
DIANA DENNEY
art features editor
NICOLE LONG, AVID ADVISOR
This year is the first time at Mac High that a program like AVID has existed to help a wide range of students to be accepted into a four-year college and succeed there. It is currently being led by MHS teachers Darcy Houston and Nicole Long, who interviewed 58 freshmen for spots in the elective class that is being offered second semester. The purpose behind AVID is to close the “achievement gap,” which is the difference in post-high school success between students of different socioeconomic status, race, or gender by giving students the materials they need to be as successful as they can. AVID is a program that exists worldwide and was created in the 1990s. Nike is funding the program’s first year at Mac High, and the majority of the funds go to training teachers. The Mac High staff members who have been trained for this program include Darcy Houston, Nicole Long, Amy Fast, Jody Mechals, Michelle Buczynski, Colin Mize, Nichelle Green, and Kris Olsen. AVID will be offered for freshmen second semester, but will then grow with them throughout high school until the program is offered to all grade levels. Forty five minutes of the class time will be spent tutoring students for their schoolwork and the other 45 will be spent teaching the AVID curriculum, which includes note-taking strategies, advice on how to write an effective college admission essay, and other tools on how to succeed in the application process and in college classes. The ideal candidate for a spot in the AVID class has a GPA around the 2.5 to 3.5 range and would be a first-generation college student, meaning that nobody else in their family has had the opportunity to attend college. Because of this, these students might not have all the information they need about how to apply for college and how to succeed once they get there. “AVID is for students who need that extra push to go to college because they either don’t have the support from home or in themselves,” said AVID leader Darcy Houston. Currently at MHS, only 25percent of seniors go on to attend a four year college or university in the fall after high school, which is considerably lower than the national average, which is 42 percent. The idea behind AVID is to help give students the motivation and information to go to a four-year school and the skills to continue there for all four years. For those students who either aren’t accepted into the program due to various reasons or don’t feel they need an entire class period to work on college-preparation study skills, Houston and Long are offering an AVID club. Any student can join the club, and they are encouraged to attend the college visits and other field trips along with the members of the elective class.
SPORTS
DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO SHARE? CONTACT EDITOR SYDNEY STERN
WE WANT DOM
ULTIMATE FUN
DOMINIK TITZ BRINGS TALENT TO MAC HIGH
NEW CLUB STRIVES TO BECOME MAC HIGHS NEWEST SPORT
BY JOE GULLO
BY HANNAH SIEPMANN
off campus editor
HANNAH SIEPMANN
With the basketball season underway, everybody is hoping that our boys and girls can have a great season. On the boys side one definite key to success relies on the newest addition to our team: foreign exchange student Dominic Titz. Titz is doing his best to help our team even
off campus editor
need some offense.” All of these things have led to the appeal of Dom as a player, and he has become a huge fan favorite. JV coach Dustin Hewitt said, “He plays with lots of energy and the students seem to really like DEVON BALDWIN
GERMAN EXCHANGE STUDENT DOMINIK TITZ MAKES IMPRESSION ON MAC HIGH
in a different country. Titz says, “the pace of play is very different then Germany. It is much faster and I am still getting used to playing here.” Dominic is doing his best to improve and help the team.Luckily, everybody at our school is rooting for him and he is having a good time. Titz continued by saying, “I have great teammates and that has definitely helped me feel more at home.” Jacob Powell said he is, “A good defender who can shoot the ball when we
watching him play.” Dominic is also getting a lot of playing time on the team and is showing off his skills. It’s not often we get to see a player like Dom Titz, so hopefully we can appreciate him while he’s still here. Overall, Dom is having an amazing time as a Grizzly and it is coming through in his play. Dom said the team is, “like a family” and that this season has been one of the “best times of his life.”
While it’s not an official sport at MHS, the boys on the GrizFriz ultimate frisbee club take their sport as seriously as any other athletes do. The team was started this fall by juniors Simon Rolleri, Abe Thornburg, and JJ Rodriguez in an attempt to revive the club that Mac High had a few years ago. “It started from a basic concept of wanting to do something new. I decided that since the school previously had a team, which my brother was on, I wanted to take it into my own hands to reinvent the sport of ultimate frisbee and make it cool again,” said co-captain Rolleri. Every Tuesday and Thursday, rain or shine, the 20 boys gather in the classroom of Russel Weaver, their advisor, then head out to the stadium to practice. “Mr. Weaver has a family background in frisbee, so he kind of has workarounds in the world of ultimate,” said Rodriguez. Out at Wortman Stadium, their coach, Kevin Chambers, leads them through drills and plays to prepare them for games. “He’s
really motivated and wants us to take it seriously,” said Rodriguez, “I feel like he has the mentality to take us to competition within the next year or so.” The GrizFriz team hasn’t competed against other schools yet, but they have plans for the future. “South Eugene has the best team in the state and they go to nationals every year, so hopefully we’ll play them next year,” said Thornburg. Even more than they love the sport, all of the players truly enjoy the company of their teammates. “The people are the best part,” said Rodriguez, “most of us were already friends, so it’s kind of like a get-together after school.” This type of connection will help the team communicate and play well together in competitions. “We have the best group of kids you could ever find,” said Thornburg. While frisbee remains a club for now, the guys are hoping to see it become an official sport sometime in the near future. “I see it expanding and becoming more of a normal The Bruin JANUARY 22, 2016 mhsbruin.com 5
SPORTS
WINTER SPORTS
NBA
SPORTS
WINTER SPORTS UPDATE
ALL-STAR PREDICTION
CHECK IN ON HOW MAC HIGH WINTER ATHLETES ARE DOING
WRITER BEN STUART PREDICTS NBA EAST AND WEST ALL-STAR STARTING LINEUP
BY SYDNEY STERN
photographer
what’s bruin editor
WIKIPEDIA
EMMA BEYER
BY BEN STUART
TORONTO RAPTORS GUARD DEMAR DEROZEN
SOPHOMORE KAMERON CASEY GETS READY TO WRESTLE IN SPRAGUE DUAL MEET
Mac High’s winter sports season has been heating up. With the end of the season fast approaching, it’s up to the athletes to make this season count. Boys swimming has had a great start, staying undefeated at 5-0 with a great meet against previously undefeated South Salem. Talented boys to watch out for are Sophomores Hunter Harris, Levi Burres and Garrett Sutton, and senior captains Max Hayes, Sam Swenson and Giovanni Mariotti. The swim team’s next meet is Jan. 21 at home against West Salem. Girls swimming, while stumbling early on with a loss to West Albany, has been working very hard. With a 3-2 record so far, the girls are lead by senior captains Molli Hartzell and Chloe Zinda and are ready to race. Watch out for senior Jessica Noyes, junior Rosie Porter and freshman Olivia Leid. Boys wrestling has had a rocky start, only winning one dual against West Salem. The wrestling team(1-5) hosts their next meet against
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The Bruin JANUARY 22 2016 mhsbruin.com
North Salem and McKay on February fourth. Players to watch are seniors Bobby Crowtson, Chance Atkinson and Michael Abeyta. Unified Sports has had a great start to their basketball season. Last week, they played two games against ASB and the Veterans of Foriegn Wars. They won both games, 32-18 and 30-18, respectively. Unifed Sports’s next game is the Forest Grove Invitational on January 23rd. Boys basketball has started off their league season very strongly. With a 6-7 record, the boys are currently ranked fourth in the Greater Valley Conference and 28th in state. Players to watch for are senior Jacob Powell and sophomores Aaron Baune and Cameron Autencio. The boys’ next game will be Friday at McNary. Girls basketball has had an amazing start to their season. With a 10-3 record, the girls are ranked third in league and 22nd in state. Players to watch for are senior Elizabeth Logsdon and sophomores Alix Williams and Kayla Heuberger. The girls’ next game is Friday at McNary.
WEST
EAST
PG: Steph Curry / PTS 29.5 REB 5.2 AST 6.5
PG:Demar Derozan / PTS 22.9 REB 4.4 AST 4.1
SG: Klay Thompson / PTS 21 REB 3.9 AST 2.4 SF: Kawhi Leonard / PTS 20.2 REB 7 AST 2.6 PF: Karl Anthony-Towns / PTS 15.8 REB 9.3 AST 1.2 C: Anthony Davis / PTS 22.8 REB 10.8 AST 1.6
SG: Jimmy Butler / PTS 22.2 REB 4.9 AST 4.1 SF: Paul George / PTS 24.1 REB 7.6 AST 3.8 PF: Lebron James / PTS 25.8 REB 7.4 AST 6.1 C: Pau Gasol / PTS 16.3 REB 10.9 AST 3.1
OPINIONS
DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO SHARE? CONTACT THE BRUIN
LEGAL WEED HAS BEEN BENEFICIAL IN THE YEAR SINCE RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA BECAME LEGAL IN OREGON, THE RESULTS HAVE ONLY BEEN BENEFICIAL BY BEN STUART
writer
Each issue the The Bruin Editorial Board meets to discuss the topics of the school and give their opinion. The board is chaired by Hannah Siepmann & Emma Beyer [Co-editors].
A
ASB PLANS DE-STRESS FINALS WEEK To help students deal with the stress that finals week always brings, the ASB class has been planning daily activities during the week to calm students’ nerves. This will include bubble wrap popping, a nap room during lunch, and a yoga group after school. Props to ASB for helping out all of Mac High’s pressured students.
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BOYS SWIMMING UNDEFEATED
In recent years, the governing forces of the United States has become increasingly receptive of marijuana. Recreational marijuana is currently legal in Alaska, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Washington D.C., and all of these places have legalized pot in the last four years. The success that these four states have had with legalized marijuana has led to the calling from many, including President Barack Obama and myself, to legalize recreational pot nationally. The number one incentive for states to decriminalize marijuana is the massive amounts of money to be gained by the government from legal weed. Millions of dollars are spent annually on the incarceration of pot-users in the United States. In a recent interview with Vice News, President Obama said, “It costs a huge amount of money to states… What I'm encouraged by is you're started to see not just liberal democrats but also some very conservative Republicans recognize that this doesn't make sense… They see the money and how costly it is to incarcerate.” While the legalization of recreational marijuana would not only save states a lot of precious dollars, it would also make states a ton of revenue through taxation. Colorado has in place a 10 percent retail tax on recreational pot and a 15 percent excise tax on large, wholesale pot sales. These taxes brought in $70 million for Colorado in 2014 alone, almost twice the amount the state made from alcohol taxation. The marijuana business is incredibly lucrative, and by legalizing that business the federal government
could allocate a large sum of that business’ revenue. In addition to the good that legalized pot could do for the fiscal well-being of the United States, marijuana can do a lot of good to the human body as well, evidenced by the twenty U.S states that have legalized medical marijuana. The drug is much better for humans than legal alcohol and nicotine according to a recent study posted in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The two active chemicals in marijuana are cannabidiol and tetrahydrocannabinol, more commonly known as CBD and THC. CBD impacts the brain without a high, BEN STUART and is incredibly beneficial to people with depression or other mental illnesses. THC has pain relieving properties and can be used to help people with chronic pain or a possibly daunting physical injury. Marijuana consumption also helps to control epileptic seizures and the spread of cancer. While it’s true that over-use of marijuana can lead to a dependency, the same is the case for alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, and all of these drugs are legal for recreational use throughout the United States. With all of the economic benefits and the medical applications of marijuana, it is clear to see why recreational marijuana ought to be legal in the United States of America.
THE OPINIONS AND EDITORIAL PAGES ARE INTENDED TO EDUCATE AND SPARK DEBATE ABOUT ISSUES THAT AFFECT MCMINNVILLE HIGH SCHOOL AND THE COMMUNITY. EDITORIALS REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OF THE BRUIN’S EDITORIAL BOARD. OTHER ARTICLES REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THEIR AUTHORS.
C
After the first four meets, boys swimming has been on a winning streak, and the swimmers have been crushing the competition each time. Coach Jason Hafner believes the boys can place in the top 10 at state this year, a feat they haven’t achieved in a while. The team is led by a strong group of seniors, including Max Hayes, Giovanni Marioti and Sam Swenson.
CLEAN SLATE WITH SECOND SEMESTER For those of us with less-than-optimal grades are skeptical that finals will help them, don’t worry . . . second semester is right around the corner, and your grades will reset, giving you a fresh start to raise your GPA and excell in your classes.
DAVID BOWIE, ALAN RICKMAN, GLENN FRY DIE
D F
This past week, the world saw the unexpected deaths of both pop star David Bowie, Eagles rock star Glenn Frey and actor Alan Rickman. Bowie was famous for his influential music over the past decades and Rickman was known for his role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series. Each contributed profoundly to American and world culture and will be deeply missed.
DISTRICT IGNORES SNOW DAY PLEAS On the Monday right after winter break, not even a snowstorm was enough to convince the District to cancel school. Students were outraged, resorting to Twitter in an attempt to change superintendent Maryalice Russel’s mind. McMinnville ended up being the only school district in the Willamette valley to only have a 2-hour delay instead of a cancellation.
The Bruin JANUARY 22, 2016 mhsbruin.com
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HIGH FINAL SCHEDULE OPINIONS FLYING
REFUGEES
FINALS SCHEDULE TOO STRESSFUL SYRIAN REFUGEES DESERVE TO STAY IN THE USA
STUDENTS STRUGGLE TO STUDY IN TIME AND WE’RE DUE FOR A NEW SCHEDULE BY HANNAH SIEPMANN
CHLOE ZINDA
sports editor
their improvements, not to work students into a state of panic. Too much stress prohibits us from doing our best work on these exams. A revised finals schedule would allow us to fully focus on each final individually and be able to turn in our best work, feeling proud of what we have accomplished throughout the semester. Ten years ago, MHS used to have a “dead week” the week before finals, when teachers wouldn’t give out new assignments or tests, and they would help the students go back to the material from earlier in the year in preparation for the final exam. I propose we bring this back. We could put all of our energy into studying instead of needing to put priority on new material that teachers give right before finals. I also propose that we shift around the finals schedule so that we take two finals a day for four days with no regular class periods during finals week and a release at noon every day after the two finals. This way, we could study without having to skip our after-school extracurriculars or staying up until 1 or 2am. A more spread-out, college-style finals week
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 8:25: 5th Period 8:25: 1st Period 8:25: 2nd Period 8:25: 6th Period 10:01: 3rd Period
10:01: 7th Period
10:01: 4th Period
10:01: 8th Period
11:32: Release
11:32: Release
11:32: Release
11:32: Release
The Bruin JANUARY 22, 2016 mhsbruin.com
A hot topic in the news lately has been the question of whether or not America is going to take in Syrian Refugees that have been forced out of their homes by ISIS. Arguments from the more conservative politicians say that we shouldn’t let them in due to the chance that members of ISIS could disguise themselves as refugees. Liberals believe that we should be letting them in out of the goodness of our hearts. SYDNEY STERN When deciding on which side you stand with, try to remember these pieces of information: 1.We are a country of immigrants. Only two percent of the American population are native Americans. The rest of us came here however long ago in search of a better life, or to get away from an oppressive government… Very similar to Syrian refugees. 2.There is a higher chance of terrorism from an American citizen than a Syrian refugee. Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee cas compared bringing in Syrian refugees to knowingly buying a 5 pound bag of peanuts when five of them are poisoned. In actuality, the ratio is 1 in 261,000 of potential terrorists instead of Huckabee’s fallacy of 1 in 100. In fact, the bag of peanuts in Huckabee’s analogy will kill more people in the US than Syrian refugees. 3. Religion does not define terrorism. A compromise has been given that America should only allow Christian refugees, due to a growing fear of Muslims in the US. This is probably the most ridiculous assumption in the whole conversation about refugees. Out of the whole Muslim population of 1.6 billion, not even 145,000 of those are a part of extremist groups. That’s 0.00925% of all Muslims. Excluding Muslim refugees from our country because they could be a part of ISIS is like Christians being excluded because they could be part of the KKK. Allowing refugees into America is a very big step for our country. With improved background checks and more overall acceptance of other religions, taking in refugees will have a huge impact in our fight against ISIS. Taking them out of Syria will slim down chances for ISIS to recruit for their army. In the end, it’s all about choosing the path that is right, not the one that is easy.
CHLOE ZINDA
This time of year, we Mac High students are stressing ourselves out to an extreme level over our finals, which are ominously looming ahead of us. Our scores on these tests could make a huge impact on our grades, especially when teachers make them worth 20 or 30 percent of our total grade for the class, and could mean the difference between an A and a B or between passing and failing. We have good reason to be anxious! When we take a full schedule of eight classes and challenge ourselves with multiple AP classes and highlevel elective or language classes, the finals schedule that MHS uses begins to feel insane. On the first two days of finals week, when we take our 7th and 8th period finals HANNAH SIEPMANN after regular class periods the rest of the day, it’s almost impossible to focus and contribute to our first three classes because all we can focus on is the impending final coming up later that day. It’s hard to not spend class time cramming for other classes’ finals. The second half of finals week is even more stressful. Three final exams in one day causes many of us to have nervous breakdowns and give us more stress than we would otherwise have if we took the three finals separately. Without much of a break in between, we spend almost five hours on these days only taking tests, then come back the next day for another five hours. If a student’s third final of the day means the difference between graduating or not, they often can’t put every ounce of energy they have into their first two, and they shouldn’t be expected to. The purpose of finals is for students to demonstrate what they have learned and to showcase
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BY SYDNEY STERN
editor
ART FOCUS
AN INTERVIEW WITH MYA CLOVER BY SKYLAR PEAK
writer
SKYLAR PEAK: You have a pretty distinct style that carries over to both your ceramic art and 2-D. What is your inspiration, and how would you describe your style? MYA CLOVER: My style is a little bit comical. The faces are really exaggerated, and there are a lot of disproportionate features ... At first, I was trying to find that originality in my pieces ... I guess it just kind of formed over the years. SP: Who are some artists that inspire you? MC: I really like Shel Silverstein. I really like his artwork - it’s kind of unproportioned, like mine. I also think that I’ve pulled a lot of illustrations from the artwork in McMenamins, because I just really love the paintings. SP: What is one thing you wish you knew about art when you were younger? MC: When I first started taking
art classes as a freshman, I took it really seriously because I knew that when I graduated from high school I wanted to do something in art. And I was being really serious about it. I did all these really realistic pieces to impress people
“I started to realize that [art] doesn’t have to be serious at all”
so I could like, prove to people that I can do this after a graduate, but then last year, I started to realize that it doesn’t have to be serious at all. Art can be really crazy and funny. I have a really good laugh over things. SP: What are you future plans? MC: After high school, I want to go to college. I don’t know yet. I know I want to do something in
a creative field but I have no idea of what yet. I’d love to be like, a children’s’ book illustrator or a graphic designer or like advertising and poster design. I figure I’ll figure it out when I go to college. SP: Anything else you would like to add? MC: I think a lot of times when I tell people that I want to do art after high school, they say, like, “But I want you to live a successful life.” They’ll also say, “maybe you should major in environmental studies and just minor in art.” I think when a lot of people think of art, they just think of traditional oil paintings, and don’t understand that every single business in the whole world needs artists and that you can be completely successful as an artist after high school. I find it really annoying when people don’t understand that you don’t have to just sell your paintings on the street to be an artist.
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LISETTE GOMEZ
ALICIA VERGAS
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FEATURED AP STUDIO ART
CHLOE ZINDA
TASHA WALKER
FEATURES
DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO SHARE? CONTACT THE BRUIN
DIANA DIAZ
A FRIENDLY FACE
MHS’S FRIENDLIEST STAFF MEMBER SHARES WHAT IT’S LIKE TO WORK AT OUR SCHOOL BY DIANA DENNY news editor
Ask just about any student at MHS who the friendliest staff member is, and they will tell you it’s custodian Jerome Verduyn. Known for his outgoing attitude and constant smile, Jerome is one of the most well-liked staff members on campus. When he’s not keeping the school fresh and clean, Jerome enjoys maintaining landscapes through hobbies like pruning. Bicycling is another way that the custodian enjoys spending his free time. In his 10 years of working at MHS, Jerome has made a lot of memories. His recent favorite was this year’s Homecoming assembly. “The students were so excited and pumped up that the walls of the Red Gym started sweating,” he said. Verduyn said favorite part about being a custodian was, “getting to see the students walk in the main entrance every morning.”
JEROME SWEAPS UP IN BETWEEN CLASSES
Jerome also does a lot to help out with clean up and set up of after school activities. “He’s the first responder in all of our events,” said leadership adviser Susanne Sayles. “Not only does he help clean up, but he helps make things happen.” Being a custodian isn’t all fun and games, however. “It can be frustrating when the same group of students always leaves food and garbage out after lunch,” he said. “It’s normally the ninth graders, and we have to train them to not make a mess.” Jerome also appreciates that his job as custodian allows him to connect with students. “I try to say good morning or hello to shy students to get them to open up,” he said. “I’m all over the building, so whenever I see that a student is in a pickle, I do what I can to help them out.” Jerome does a lot to help out around our school, whether it be cleaning the commons or making someone smile. His positive attitude always contributes to creating a
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FEATURES
PRO-START
FEEDING THE FLAMES PRO-START STUDENTS PREPARE FOR AN UPCOMING TOURNEMENT BY MERICA ZOCH writer/photographer DEVIN BALDWIN
PRO-START STUDENTS PRACTICE THEIR KNIFE SKILLS
“I joined just for fun in the beginning, but then I got intrigued by the pathway and what we do in here (the pathway),” said senior Kris Jorgensen. “Except for the book assignments, those aren’t fun.” Neither Jorgensen nor classmate Ashley Zaragoza intend on pursuing cooking as their career, but they have learned a lot and gained useful skills for the future. “I’ve learned how to better organize my space and how to multi-task,” said Jorgensen. Zaragoza playfully adds, “It will be nice when the wife gets mad, I’ll be able to cook.” Cole Bery plans on opening a restaurant in his future. “I will probably serve burgers and breakfast foods.” His favorite food, he learned to cook in this class, is “no-bake cookies.” He also really enjoyed being part of the Dr. Sues event last year. “I’ve really improved on knife skills this year. My favorite thing to cut is onions, because they don’t burn my eyes.” Jennifer Veles is excited and nervous for the competitions this year. She explained how McMinnville is taking a team of five, and of those five, four will compete while one is there for support and can replace a competitor if the original is injured or can’t compete. They are starting off the season early to choose recipes to perform at the competitions. 12
The Bruin JANUARY 22, 2016 mhsbruin.com
A&E
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT EDITOR JOE GULLO
BEST STAR WARS YET???
AFTER SCHOOL
JAKE FOWLER REVIEWS THE NEWEST EDITION TO THE STAR WARS SERIES- SPOILER ALERT! BY JAKE FOWLER
THE SCHOOLS MOST RECENT SOCIAL MEDIA TREND EXPLAINED
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BY JORGE QUINTERO SALINAS
writer
There is a new app taking high schools by pleased. The “After School” app was created by Michael Callahan and Cory Levy of ONE, Inc. and officially debuted in October of 2014. The app immediately stirred controversy as teenagers started to post nasty content without the fear of consequences. The app is now on more than 22,300 high school campuses. The app relaunched in April 2015 featuring a new safety feature. “After School” now requires users to sign in with Facebook. This specific feature
For months now the entire world has been anticipating one movie, one film that stands out of all the others, one film that is having fans go crazy. Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Revealed and previewed in mid2014, film critics and avid Star Wars fans have been foreseeing its release in December of 2015. As predicted, the movie has already beaten many box office records and has reached grand acclaim. As of January 10, 2015, the film has grossed 1.734 billion dollars worldwide since its release on December 18, 2015. The movie has also received 93% of the review site Rotten Tomatoes. The director, J.J. Abrams, does a fantastic job at rebooting the legendary film series.
Personally, I loved this movie. Everything about the film was well written and performed. From the strong and developed characters, the action sequences and intensity, and the original revamped music score. One of my favorite parts of this movie was the original cast members of the first three Star Wars films were brought back to the screen. These cast members include Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, and Anthony Daniels as C-3PO. The director and the writers have also created fresh and extremely strong new characters to enhance the films creativity and dialogue. New characters
included Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Daisy Ridley and Rey, John Boyega as Finn, and Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron. In my opinion, the characters were the highlight of the entire plot. Viewers absolutely loved the return of their well-favored characters, and enjoyed the introduction of new people for future Star Wars movies. I give this film a 10/10, due to the well done action scenes, the plot twist, and the fantastic well-built characters. I recommend this film to anybody, even in the case that they are not a Star Wars fan. This movie is a great time for anyone who wants to see a well-acted and directed movie. Now all we have to do is wait for the promised sequels in upcoming Star Wars future.
is the reason parents cannot view what students are posting. When it comes to the “After School”. Most of the posts from McMinnville High School are anonymous thoughts about other students, or sometimes just funny comments regarding the school. T The biggest topic being tossed out on the app, however, is secret crushes. Almost every other comment is about how hot people are or how they would like to um… do stuff together with that person? MHS students sure do have a lot of “love” for each other. When you think about it the ‘After School” app is almost like our real life Gossip Girl.
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A&E
C I N E MA 10
PLAY REVIEW
HOW SUCCEED IN A PLAY
H W Y 99, M C M I N N V I L L E O R E G O N
CURRENT LISTINGS
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING BY LEO MARTINEZ AND KARLEE BIRD
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LEO MARTINEZ
Unless you’ve been chronically absent the last month or so, you’ve probably heard about the showings of this year’s musical, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The musical, affectionately abbreviated as HT$, involves both drama and choir students in the telling of a hilarious story of how a simple window washer gains praise and glory after joining a new company. HT$ stars junior Colton Price as J. Pierrepont Finch, the charming window-washer-turnedbusinessman. The story was a riveting comedy that easily entertained the audience. Every student really devoted themselves to truly capturing the essence of their characters. From epic songs about running out of coffee, to dramatic bathroom scenes, the play’s plotline was captivating. Clearly, more than enough practice took place before opening night. Good timing and memorization were essential in order to pull this musical off; those were clearly emphasized during practice. Although How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was written by Frank Loesser in 1952, it is still enjoyable even after all these years. HT$ was directed by Ms. Bethany Mason, along with musical direction by Mrs. Robin Pederson and Mr. Dana Libonati. Ms. Mason was assisted in direction by senior Chandler Simenson. The MHS drama department’s upcoming spring play, which is yet to be announced, will show over the course of five days in
M O O N L I G H T T H E AT R E
STARRING: JESUS CAMACHO & COLTON PRICE OVERALL RATING: A 14
The Bruin JANUARY 22, 2016 mhsbruin.com
The Bruin JANUARY 22, 2016 mhsbruin.com 15
1. JUNIOR NATALIE ZAKAIB, 2. SENIOR ADI DIVEN, 3. JUNIOR JULIAN LEMUS, 4. STAFF MEMBER MIKE GOWER, 5. STAFF MEMBER JOE CRAFTON 6. SOPHOMORE MARIANA FLORES, 7. SOPHOMORE ROSEMARY ULLOA, 8. JUNIOR KASSIDY ZINDA, 9. STAFF MEMBERANGELICA HUSTON
8 9 6
7 GUESS WHICH STAFF MEMBERS AND STUDENTS THESE UNIQUE EYEBROWS BELONG TO
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GUESS WHO? 5
3 1
BY DIANA DIAZ
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fashion editor and photographer
FASHION
DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO SHARE? CONTACT EDITOR DIANA DIAZ
WHAT’S BRUIN?
DAYS UNTIL #WEOUTofHERE
Seniors: 91 Rest of us: 95
WE ASKED MHS STUDENTS A QUESTION ON TWITTER:
WHAT BRUIN KIDS DO WHEN IT RAINS . . . HANNAH SIEPMANN
CAREFUL ABOUT MAKING THOSE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS CHLOE ZINDA
CHILL’N WITH @BENNI_STU 2015 has ended, and we have a freaky fresh new year ahead of us. With a new year comes New Year’s Resolutions that many people make but very few people actually hold themselves to. There are reasons for this. The first reason is that people are terrible at doing what they say, and you shouldn’t trust anyone in this world. The second reason is that people are terrible at making resolutions and goals. A resolution should be attainable. For example, if I had a 1.9 GPA, making a resolution to get accepted into Stanford wouldn’t be a very attainable goal. Now this doesn’t mean that your resolutions and goals shouldn’t be incredibly easy either. Don’t just challenge yourself to buy a hat, or to take a walk in the next year. Set a goal that is just beyond your reach at the moment. A good resolution requires that you put work into making it happen, but if the resolution is impossible to complete, you’ll probably just give up on it. Finding a good resolution for you may require some self-reflecting. The lull of the winter months is always a good time to take a step back and look at your life. The second part of creating a good resolution is that your goals for the year must be measurable. If your New Year’s Resolution is to be nicer, you’re going to have a hard time knowing when you have completed that goal. Nicer is a relative term. There isn’t a way to measure that. A measurable resolution is “I will to eat fifteen sandwiches” or “I will have no grades lower than a B on my next report card.” You must establish a way to measure your resolution so that you can keep track of it, and so that you won’t lose sight of your goal. Now that I have relocated these morsels of knowledge from my cranium to your cranium, I have complete faith in your ability to better yourself and to have an incredible 2016. 20
The Bruin JANUARY 22, 2016 mhsbruin.com
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BUCKET LIST BEFORE YOU
KICK THE BUCKET Many people have different things to achieve in life, such as the basics, get married to the love of your life, have children, travel to foreign countries, and have your first kiss under the stars, but isn’t there something more? Don’t get me wrong, traveling to Australia and swimming in the Great Barrier Reef would be the best thing ever. But beyond the all the normal things in life, what if we set goals for ourselves that go outside the boundaries of our own skin. Try traveling to the other side of the country to go find yourself or doing the thing that scares you the most and keep doing it over and over again. Wouldn’t that be more beneficial for your self-esteem and love of yourself. Here is the list that things you need to do that are helpful for yourself that you can add to your bucket list. First you need to forget about the competition, other people are on a different path than you are. Plus, trends are for suckers anyway. Next, embrace your darkside, your so called “dark qualities.” You have a power within those qualities and corporate
them into your work pay. Also, exercise your voice, say your opinions and put them in words, art, and music. Even if it scares you, I promise it will work out fine. Next expand your horizons, visit other places and cultures, wander aimlessly. Never limit your play time, even if your brain is telling you otherwise, the most creative ideas are when your mind is opened to the unknown. To add, always QUESTION EVERYTHING. And ignore other people’s opinion, they are all based on their own fears and thoughts. Another thing, don’t get too carried away with this one, but do the opposite of what ELIZABETH KOKORUDA your taught in school, in a good way of course. Finally...follow your heart, its sounds cheesy, but guaranteed it will help you out in endless ways.